Small errors at work could hinder your career big-time and for a long time — here’s why

Your work image is your professional calling card.

The manner in which you present yourself in your professional career orbit can impact how others perceive your talents. 

First impressions do matter — so it’s important that you’re cognizant of small issues that may be tarnishing your image in a big way.

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Industry experts shared insights with FOX Business about how to raise your image game so that you’re seen in the best light at work.

Here are the specifics.

First impressions are lasting

It’s no surprise that people judge you within seconds of meeting you. 

“The way we look, sound, move and travel have tremendous impact upon others’ perceptions of us,” explained Ruth Sherman, celebrity speech and media consultant and CEO of Ruth Sherman Associates in Greenwich, Connecticut.

The best approach, said Sherman, is to concentrate on putting your best foot forward from the start. 

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“It’s much easier to deliver a strong image from the start than to have to repair it due to gaffes, sub-optimal presentation, poor work product or indecorous personal behavior,” Sherman said.

Know the actions that could tarnish your reputation

Here are a few wrong moves to make. 

Being late to meetings. If you’re consistently late for meetings — including Zoom or other on-camera meetings in a remote work environment — this can indicate a lack of respect for others’ time or a level of self-importance that others may find offensive, said Sherman. 

“Time has grown in importance as a precious commodity,” she said. 

“Meetings, especially video meetings, are often held back-to-back, so being even five minutes late adds up by the end of a 10-12-hour workday.”

In other words, if the meeting starts at 9 a.m., be on time for it. Even better, be early. 

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Your manager’s time and that of the others on your team is valuable.

Being a poor listener. Not being a good listener, said Sherman, is a problem in our culture, which the pandemic has exacerbated. 

“We are rusty about being together in-person,” Sherman told FOX Business. “Listening is the most important and most neglected communication skill, yet we are not given any instruction as to how to do it well.”

She added, “Becoming an intent listener is critical for problem-solving and relationship building.” 

Watch the texting. When there are important or highly charged issues to discuss, texting can be an impersonal method of communication, said Sherman. 

“We’ve increasingly been communicating via written means,” she said. 

“The channels for expression are diminished or nonexistent and we tend to say things we would avoid if speaking by voice or in person.”

“A simple solution would be to pick up the phone instead and with your voice, lower the temperature.”

She added, “When we speak to each other via text, email or other means, we don’t have access to nonverbal codes such as facial expressions and vocal variety that we take into account to ensure the communication goes well.”  

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Without those cues, said Sherman, people are more apt to say things they would avoid saying to someone’s face. 

“A simple solution would be to pick up the phone instead and with your voice, lower the temperature,” she added.

Lying at work. If you have a history of lying at work, this will impact how others view you. 

“Trust collapses if you’re caught lying at work, and recovering trust is challenging,” said Blanca Cobb, a body language expert with TruthBlazer in Greensboro, North Carolina. 

“You’re only trustworthy if you have enough integrity to accept responsibility for your decisions and mistakes without lying, exaggerating or withholding the truth,” she said.

“Most lies are eventually discovered.”

To maintain their image, Cobb said some people will bend the truth. 

“However, most lies are eventually discovered,” Cobb told FOX Business.

Sharing too much on social media. This can be a high-stakes risk for your professional image.

“Whatever you post on social media will be scrutinized, so be ready for criticism,” she warned.

More importantly, what you post reflects who you are, what you believe, how you feel, what you do in your spare time and what’s important to you,” said Cobb. 

“Although it’s your choice to post whatever you want on your social media channels, remember that someone is always watching — your boss, recruiter or colleagues,” Cobb noted. 

“If your professional image is important, then be careful what you post. What you think is a harmless photo or post can potentially wreck your image.”

“Your image will take a hit if you have an aura of arrogance, cockiness or stubbornness.”

Displaying an aura of superiority. Your image will take a hit if you have an aura of arrogance, cockiness or stubbornness, said Cobb. 

“It’s challenging to collaborate with people who are ‘always’ right and have to have their way,” she said. 

A better approach, she said, is to be humble and cooperative. 

“It’s more productive to be open to suggestions, alternatives and the possibility that your ideas might not be the best for a given project or situation,” Cobb noted.

Even if you change jobs, your image follows you

Your image is your shadow that follows you everywhere, even when you change jobs and companies, Cobb pointed out. 

“Your image speaks for you whether you realize it or not,” Cobb said to FOX Business. 

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“A tarnished image can impact your ability to land new jobs and move up the corporate ladder,” she added. 

By contrast, “a positive image can open opportunities you didn’t realize were possible.”